Love's Great Challenge
by DeathlyHallowsChick
Summary: Can Harry win Ginny back? After the war Harry is still in love with Ginny but the guilt of those who died rest heavily on his shoulders. Does Ginny still love Harry? Will she relieve him of his guilt? Harry and Ginny rediscover their love for each other and fight past the damage the war has done to them. Canon Compliant
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story, I have no clue how long this is going to be but I will try my hardest to wrap it up and not just leave it hanging. Reviews are appreciated as I have never before shared any of my writing and would love to improve. All characters belong to the Goddess J.K. Rowling, I only wish to fill in the gaps!

Fred was gone. He would never apparate into her room again. He would never bring her favorite lemon scones when she had a bad day. Dead. As simple as that could be. Ginny curled up under her covers. She never cried. It was something for silly girls and children. However, all she had gotten done in the past weeks was cry. She wanted to stay and bed and cry and be held like the child she seemed to feel like. That was just not Ginny Weasley. The problem was that Ginny didn't know where that particular Ginny Weasley seemed to be anymore.

George was as mobile as a brick. He'd sit in their old room, not speaking, not eating, not sleeping. Sure if someone made him come downstairs he would. Only that's all he would do. He'd come down. He'd sit, and when he was allowed to leave he'd go right back up to their room to do the same. Half of him was missing, and it wasn't coming back. Often enough, George wondered what was the point of being there, if half of him was missing and never coming back.

Harry Potter sat on the spare bed in Ron Weasley's bedroom. Rod had been sullen and quiet these past weeks. Harry, however, was the complete opposite. He was up with the sun every morning, preparing every meal for the Weasley family, cleaning and making repairs to the Burrow. After months of standing empty, the house had been torn apart by deatheaters in search of answers. He had even unpacked the items the family had taken with them while staying with Auntie Muriel. In reality Harry felt guilty, very guilty. The deaths of too many were weighing on his shoulders, Lupin, Tonks, the Creevey brothers, Fred, Dobby, and so many more, but especially Fred.

So Harry had begun working every day for the benefit of everyone else. By doing whatever he could for everyone around him, Harry hoped that someday, somehow, he'd be forgiven for the losses caused by his mere presence. Harry had not cried; he had not grieved. He hadn't even acknowledged how own aches or heartbreak. Harry wanted so badly to have Ginny near again. He even thought, had hoped, actually, that she would be there ready and waiting when it was all over. Once he had known he was still alive in the forest, every movement he made was to get back to her. He had been selfless, ready to die for them all, but once that was over and he was still alive, he was going to do whatever it took to get back to Ginny and never leave her again. The only problem was, once it was all over, Ginny wouldn't speak to him. She wouldn't look at him, it was like being invisible all the time to the only person you wanted to be able to see you. Therefore, he just kept doing what he had to do. Living to make their lives easier, and hopefully gain some form of forgiveness.

"DINNER!" Harry called up the stairs. Everyone filed down and took their places at the table. Harry had already preserved every plate. He found if he didn't, no one would actually eat. This way he knew who was actually eating and who wasn't. As Mr. Weasley, the last down the stairs took his seat, Harry took his chair halfway down the table. Ginny was on the far end. He glanced up at her, trying to catch her eye. She stared resolutely at her mashed potatoes and chicken. Glancing down at his own plate he began to eat.

"We caught three more deatheaters today." Mr. Weasley stated in between bites.

After a moment of silence of no one responding, Harry decided it would have to be him to carry this conversation. Mr. Weasley had been working diligently to reform the Ministry after the war and the last two months had had him running day and night for Minister Shacklebolt. "That's wonderful Mr. Weasley" and after another bite, "Kingsley has offered me a position with the Aurors. If I accept it, I will begin training September first. "

There was a clatter, Ginny had dropped her fork to her plate. Staring up at Harry, her eyes began to well up with tears she couldn't keep down. She bolted. Out the back door and into the orchard she was running at full speed. The table all stared at Harry as he looked on in shock. He couldn't even see her anymore even though she'd left the door wide open. Ron began to rise from his seat, but Harry stood and waived him off. If anyone was going after Ginny it was going to be him. It was his fault anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

See Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Ginny bolted out the door. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her to the far end of the orchard. She wanted to hide, to scream, to escape. She had already lost too much, Fred was gone, too many friends were dead, half her family seemed like they'd be petrified, and now after waiting for his safe return for the past year, Harry was going right back into battle, this time as an auror. Harry was leaving her behind again, just like he always would. Collapsing beneath the tree, she began crying. The tears and snot covered her face and she couldn't get control over herself. Harry had always been fighting Voldemort, he had even saved her from Tom Riddle in her first year. _I should have known_ she thought. Harry would never stop. _But it doesn't matter, he doesn't care, he doesn't love me anymore. _Ginny shuddered as she attempted to come to terms with her new reality. Harry Potter did not come home from war and sweep her off her feet, Harry Potter hadn't even spoken to her and they'd been living in the same house for almost two months. If he had loved her, he would have shown it by now.

Footsteps approached and Ginny looked up, expecting to see her father walking towards her. Instead, it was Harry. The last person she wanted to see or talk to in this moment. _Now he decides to acknowledge me? _She thought to herself trying not to laugh at the irony. To boy who made her cry, who hates girls crying was the one to show up when her face was covered in tears and way too much snot. Ginny wasn't a pretty crier, it was part of the reason she normally refused to do it. "What do you want Harry?" she barked out, a little harsher than she'd intended, but then again, he deserved it.

"I came to find out what was gotten into you, Ginny." He called back before he had even reached the tree she was under. His voice wasn't cold, but it was more distant that he thought he'd ever be with her.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she retorted, but her voice cracking softened the intended severity.

He stood over where she sat, his hands at his side and just looked at her. Ginny, the girl he thought would be his one and only for the rest of his days, the one person in the entire house that wouldn't acknowledge his existence, really was clueless for the first time in all of their acquaintance. "You won't look at me. You won't talk to me. You haven't said two words to me since the end of the war. I have done everything I can do and you won't give even a little. I helped bury Fred. I have cooked every meal in that house for almost two months. I unpacked your bags for you Ginny! I repaired your entire room before you even moved back in. I did everything I could to make this easier on you. I knew it wasn't gonna be easy coming home and not having Fred here. I knew it because he was like my brother too. He and George looked out for me from the moment I boarded the train in my first year. But you don't care one bit what I do, how many ways I try to show you how sorry I am. You don't care about anything except the fact that I had to break it off with you last summer for your own safety." Harry was shouting and pacing by the end of his rant, something he had not planned on doing when he came out after her, but just couldn't help it. Ginny didn't see everything he was doing, and all of it was for her. To make her life easier. To make her life happier.

Without warning, Ginny was at her feet, in Harry's face and Harry had suddenly been reminded just how formidable of a witch his ex-girlfriend was. He attempted to back away, but Ginny just followed, wand out until she had him backed against another tree. "HARRY JAMES POTTER, YOU ARE SUCH A CLUELESS GIT THAT YOU MAKE RON LOOK LIKE A SMOOTH TALKING WOMANIZER!" and with a well-placed bat bogey hex she left him there. Walking back to the house, she entered the kitchen, looked at her father and said, "I'm going to Luna's tonight and if you try and stop me that boy will be dead by midnight" her face was as red as her hair, temper was flaring up even worse now. She didn't want to cry anymore, she wanted to scream. She wanted to hurt Harry and she didn't want anyone standing in her way. She ran upstairs packed a bag, and was back at the fireplace before Mr. Weasley could come up with a way to calm her down. "The Lovegoods" she stated clearly and calmly as the floo powder turned the flames emerald green. She stepped into the flames, and was disappearing just as Harry reentered the kitchen.

Harry looked at the fireplace for a moment, the remnants of the hex still on him and turned and walked up the stairs with his hands in the air. He had no clue what to do and he sure as hell couldn't fix it now if she was going to just walk away. Harry reached his and Ron's room and threw himself down on the cot. He had gone outside to talk to her, to find out what was wrong, and why she was so upset over him joining the aurors when she wouldn't speak to him. Instead, he'd yelled. He had made it way worse and hadn't even talked about why she was upset. Harry felt a tap on his shoulder; he ignored it. Then someone hit the back of his head. "oi, what the bloody hell was that for!" he hollered sitting up, he expected Ron to have hit him, not George, who normally never spoke or even moved anymore.

George just looked at him and said, "She still loves you, you know. She never stopped loving you. The entire time you all were at shell cottage; she was trying to find a way to get there from Auntie Muriel's and it wasn't to see dear old Ronnie. She made it clear to everyone, at home and at school that she was still your girl and that she was proud of it. Now I don't know what is going on between you two but you need to win her back or none of us are going to have any peace in this house until you do." George turned on his heel and exited the room leaving Harry to stare at the door.

Girls had always been complicated, but not Ginny. At least to Harry she had never seemed too complicated. Now she was the most complicated girl he had ever known and he had no clue how to figure her out. The one girl who could help him, Hermione, was still in Australia trying to track her parents down. He couldn't exactly just send an owl to her either. Harry got up, changed into his pajamas, crawled into bed, and noxed the light. He didn't plan on sleeping but he had bloody well be pretending to if he didn't want to deal with Ron when he came in.

Ginny stepped out of the fire at the Lovegood's and ran to hug Luna. With her dreamy countenance, Luna seemed unfazed by this crying, fuming, and clearly agitated Ginny crying on her. She led Ginny upstairs, where she got them a couple of mugs of hot chocolate and listened to Ginny's tearstained ramble about everything that had happened since the battle. She didn't need her problems fixed tonight, she just needed someone to listen while the wrackspurts vacated her. So that was exactly what Luna was going to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry woke early the following morning as usual. It wasn't that he necessarily enjoyed the morning, but the nightmares would wake him up and he'd be too shaken to sleep anymore for several hours. It was a Saturday, so no one would be up early and Harry forwent his normal habit of starting breakfast. Sitting down to the kitchen table with coffee and toast he pondered on Ginny's most recent reaction. She just made no sense to him anymore. She ignored him and then got upset when he said he was moving out and getting a job. Wasn't what she wanted? To not walk into every room in her own house and be reminded of the war and him? Harry just didn't know what to do anymore.

Ron came down the stairs and summoned a mug to the table. Pouring himself some coffee, he stole half of Harry's toast. Harry wasn't in the mood for an interrogation, but he knew it'd be coming sooner or later from Ron. "So what'd ya do now to piss off my little sister, mate?" he mumbled while spraying toast crumps across the table. Harry didn't answer for a few minutes, but finally looked up at him.

"If I knew what I'd done, I'd have already fixed it. She made it seem like when I got back we'd be good, instead she won't look at me, she won't talk to me, and when I say I'm taking the job that you and I were both offered, she flips out and takes off." Harry downed the last of his coffee before continuing, "and to top things off, she compares me to you, claiming _I_ am clueless about what is upsetting her. So all I know is that I'm taking the job, and I'm getting a flat in London because I sure as hell can't stay here and keep being ignored by the one person I came through the war for." Ron didn't respond, the coffee was getting cold, he took a drink anyway. The drink was more to keep him from saying anything, but he knew, deep down, that this wasn't Harry's fault. Plus, Hermione had told him to stay out Harry's and Ginny's relationship, that they'd need time to _grow back together_ as she said. Ron thought it was bullocks but he sure wasn't going to piss off Hermione before she was even back. "Are you taking the job?"

Ron glanced up and hesitated, "not until I talk to Hermione, she isn't back yet clearly and I can't just put that in a letter, besides Kingsley said we had time to decide." Shoving the last of his toast in his mouth, "why didn't you talk to Ginny about taking the job?"

Harry looked at Ron like he'd officially gone bonkers, "I don't know, maybe because she won't spend more than ten minutes in a room with me unless we're eating? It's not like that would have been my first subject to bring up with her either." He leaned back in his chair, it wasn't supposed to go this way. He understood that much, but he just didn't know how to fix the problem when he didn't know what the problem actually was. According to Ginny, he clearly was clueless about the actual problem. About that time, Ginny came through the floo and promptly headed upstairs, she didn't even glance at him. "see what I mean?" Harry held up his coffee mug and gave a half smirk to Ron, he truly was at a loss.

Midmorning came, and George headed downstairs; he was followed by Percy and Ginny. Although Percy wasn't living there normally, he had stayed last night after Ginny had stormed off. "Oi, where are you all off to?" Ron called from the table where he and Harry were playing chess.

"To the shop, to reopen it" Ginny called over her shoulder.

"But that place is going to be a mess, not to mention dangerous as bloody hell. You know they had to of cursed it off its foundation after you all went into hiding." Ron stared back at Ginny like she had gone mad to just floo in there, but it was George who responded.

"Then I guess I had better be extra careful when we first go in then. Fred wouldn't want us to keep the doors closed, not when so many out there need a laugh in this world"

"We'll come with you, but for safety, lets apparate to Diagon Alley, I don't want to risk us flooing straight into a trap." Harry rose from his chair and George saw sense in his plan, he followed Harry outside, where he led the group went just beyond the wards.

"Wait! Who is taking me with them? I am not getting left here while you all figure out the floo situation over there!" Ginny glared at them all. Percy hesitated, he had hardly passed his own apparition lesson, he did not trust his skill set to take someone who was completely untrained in apparition with him. George shrugged, he had never taken anyone in a side-along. Ron grimaced, he remembered his multiple splinchings and he did not plan on bringing anyone with him since he still hardly had the skill down. Harry glanced at them all and after realizing not one of them was willing to take Ginny with them, he held out his hand to her. She scoffed at him, incredulous to think he would even dream of holding her hand.

"oh stop it Ginny" he moaned. "Clearly Percy and George won't be taking you for whatever reason they have and I've seen Ron get splinched twice. I'm the only other person who can take you. So you either come with me, or wait until we make sure the floo is setup and safe before letting you come through." She stared daggers at him but took his hand anyway. It was the first time they had touched since Bill and Fleurs' wedding. It sent shivers up her spine. "now focus on the alleyway right next to the shop. That's where we are going. Next to the dustbins to be precise." She nodded but it took all her concentration not to think of the tingling sensation going up her arm from her hand in his. She was livid at him, but that didn't turn off her feelings. She loved him, she knew it. She just had to get used to the fact that he didn't love her anymore. That he was leaving her behind to go fight the dark arts once again.

After a nauseating sensation, they were at the alleyway. Ginny lost her footing and tumbled against the bin, where she promptly lost the breakfast that Luna had made for her. The boys all grimaced and looked away. Harry however took his hand out of hers and rubbed small circles on her back. "It sucks the first few times, but the sensation doesn't seem so bad after a while."

She came up wiping her hair out of her face, "I prefer flying."

Harry smirked and nodded, "me too." She glanced up at him, and only then, did he realize his hand was still on her back. He was still as close to her as when they apparated she was keenly aware that she had puke breath. Taking a step back, she turned to follow the others. Harry's face fell, and he looked at Ron, he truly had no clue what to do. Ron just shrugged and walked on as well.

The five of the rounded the corner to face Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, or at least what was left of it. The outside was nothing but broken windows and graffiti, the inside, at least the parts they could see, were so beyond salvage that Harry's heart sank. Yet another reason for the Weasley's to blame him, to hate him. George had tears running down his cheeks and Ginny wrapped her arms around herself. It was Percy and Ron who stepped forward, who began checking for any hidden curses in the chaos of wreckage. Harry made a mental note to transfer whatever it would take to rebuild this place into George's account at Gringott's later. George may yell, but he'd been their primary investor before, and he sure as anything was not going to share that honor with anyone else.

The other three followed Ron and Percy inside, where they began banishing everything that was no longer within date, damaged, or utterly useless. Ginny made it a point to work on the other end of the store from Harry, but that didn't stop him from sneaking glances every few minutes. He took all of her in. Her hair, her eyes, her quidditch fit body that was shown off by her muggle jeans and tank top, even the freckle that stood out on her left shoulder. The only thing he seemed to miss were the glances Ginny was stealing of him. She was so captivated by his tousled hair and the way he moved about the room, trying to salvage anything that would be of use. She was so angry with him but he still made her heart stutter every time he ran his fingers through his hair and the air seemed to disappear from her lungs every time he glanced in her direction. The only thing she didn't realize were the glances in her direction were truly only glances at her.

George however stood between the two and grinned. He had never met two more stubborn people, and of all things they had to be in love with each other and not even know it.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sorry for the delay, I'm in law school so sometimes finding time to write is a huge challenge. By the way to those of you who have reviewed, favorited, or followed, you have made my week! I was terrified of sharing my writing with anyone else and you have given me the confidence to continue on this story! So THANK YOU ALL!

See Ch.1's disclaimer & Enjoy!

It was going to take several days to get the shop in order. They were already on day three. All of the old product had to be disposed of and the building was in shambles. The deatheaters had managed to do quite a bit of damage to the building and Harry was more surprised that it was still standing. "why aren't your landlords handling this? I mean, I don't mind helping, but you haven't been here to pay rent in months, why haven't they taken it all over" Harry asked as he moved more expired product into the pile they were banishing away.

"We bought the building. We own the other three shops in this building as well. The landlord was more than happy to give it over to us for the bag of gold we gave him." George still hadn't stopped referring to himself as a _we_ but Harry wasn't going to correct him. They carried a large box of old fireworks and put it on the edge of the pile. "We are losing so many galleons but there is no way we can sell this stuff. It's just too old, I know some of it would be ok, but I can't take the risk."

They continued moving the old fireworks into the pile. George had already warned them that after how long this stuff had been sitting exposed to the elements, it was quite volatile. The windows on the front of the building had been broken in, so not only were the fireworks expired, they had been exposed to the spring chill and rains, the summer heat, and a few storms they'd had. They were beyond worthless and now fairly dangerous. Harry tossed another box of trick wands into the pile before responding with a grin, "well whatever you need, you'll always have your first financial backer. I'm in dire need of a laugh these days; a few too many of us are it seems." George watched Harry's eyes stray back to Ginny. She was bent over a section of floor scrubbing away with all-purpose magical mess remover, but George wasn't so sure it was going to get the stains up. She wasn't of age yet, so her cleanup had been limited to moving boxes and general cleaning. She had even managed to completely clean up the potions room and the back area to the point of usefulness again. No one had dared head up to the apartment however. George couldn't bear it, and Ginny couldn't use magic to fix anything. Ron and Percy weren't about to go up there until George gave them the OK. It was his last sanctuary of Fred. He knew it needed to be done over; he just couldn't be the one to box up Fred's personal things. That would make the reality much too permanent. He had tried, on day two, but had broken into tears, being carried out by Ron and Harry. So for now, they stuck to strictly repairing and cleaning the shop area.

When George went down to the apothecary to restock his potion's closet, Harry approached Ginny. Crouching down next to her, he began speaking quietly enough only she could hear. "I want to remake the apartment over for George." She stopped and looked up at him, and then sitting back on her haunches, she responded.

"So why are you telling me. I can't exactly use magic you prat."

Harry started to get irritated. No matter what happened, Ginny was mad at him. He just wanted them to have some semblance of normal between them. "Well, Ron won't do it without George's go ahead, and you're the only other person who is going to know what is Fred's, George's, or communal. I don't want to just get Fred's personal stuff out; I want to redecorate the place, so that George can have a place that is his." Ginny eyed him for a moment before nodding her head for him to continue. "So, help me go through all their stuff, clean it, and buy fresh furniture? I need help Gin and quite frankly you knew them best. It'd be easiest with you, not to mention much better results."

Ginny hesitated but finally responded, "OK, I'll do it. We can start tomorrow since all of this should be done by then. He and Percy are going to be doing potion-making all day to start restocking the shelves. Instead of helping Ron put the shelves up, we'll go box up Fred's things and clean the place up. I hope that redecorating won't take too much after that. Like I said, no magic, so I'm kind of useless on a lot of things." Her eyes were downcast, she hated being the youngest, the girl, the only one unable to use magic, she felt insignificant in comparison to the others.

Harry placed his hand over hers, "You are never useless, especially to me." He rose, and went back to the pile, vanishing things into non-being. He didn't look back at her, his eyes were stinging. Putting his feelings aside was almost too much for him to bear these days. He wanted to help George, but every moment he spent with Ginny was killing him too. The same train of thoughts ran through his head with every passing hour, _I should have never left her behind. If I hadn't broken it off, she would still be with me. She would still love me._

On the other end of the room, Ginny was hiding her eyes beneath her hair. No one noticed her crying as she scrubbed on her hands and knees. All she could think of was how Harry hadn't come back to her. How he seemed to love and care for everyone in the Weasley family as his own, but he just didn't love her anymore. Sure, he'd come to her rescue if need be, she was part of the Weasley's after all. But he didn't love _her._ Not like he used to anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

see ch. 1 disclaimer, sorry for the delay! please let me know about the action sequence, I have never written one! The reviews make my day and I love any and all feedback! If you have an idea for this story, just PM me and I'll see if I can make it work with the direction I want to take this story!

Ginny strolled up the aisles of the muggle store. She was determined to find some curtains that would lighten up the apartment. She and Harry had already picked out a new leather sofa and chair set but the room needed a lighter touch. The leather was just too dark for the poorly lit room. The living room had been painted a soft eggshell blue and Harry had found a dark navy and cream rug for the sitting area. After a long internal debate, she settled on the soft cream curtains that would complement the rug and still let in plenty of light into the room. They had decided it should be simple and clean, a blank slate for George and his new life.

The bedrooms had both been cleaned out and redone. Ginny had selected a slated blue, the store had called Athenian ocean. She thought it would be calming to George and it also looked really good with the Mahogany bedroom furniture. Harry had even managed to magic into place a fake window that George could change the scenery outside. Harry had left the window on a mountain range. It was a nice reminder that they did not have to always be in the city here. Fred's room, now the spare bedroom was focused in on greens and tans. The wood of the furniture was lighter as well. Harry had selected a bamboo wood for that room and magicked a window into that bedroom as well. It was a tropical lagoon. The Kilalla Green walls made the room very refreshing but the tan bedding wasn't her favorite. That had been Harry's choice as well.

For the first time since the war, they had had to talk, to actually communicate, and she was more confused than ever. It was still the same old Harry, but he was so distant, like he wasn't quite there with her. He had held her while she cried over cleaning Fred's things out, and he carried all of the bags whenever they went shopping. He had had to confund a few muggles before shrinking the furniture down to fit in a small bag. They couldn't exactly have the furniture delivered to Diagon Alley. She had never spent so much time in muggle London and she was hooked. There was never enough for her to see, to hear, to smell, or to taste. Harry had even taken her to a muggle cinema where they had watched what he called a movie. She didn't understand how it worked, but it had been very fun and they had eaten a box of popcorn together. Often times it felt like they were together again, but they weren't affectionate together, they didn't walk in hand in hand or share any intimacy together. "Let's get out of here, I don't think we need anything else." Ginny looked up at Harry as he grinned and paid for the selections she had made.

He apparated them back to Diagon Alley and as they walked into the main street, three beams of red light swept past their bodies. Harry pushed Ginny behind his own body, and taking out his wand he prepared a shield charm. Looking up the street, in full deatheater regalia, was a trio of men firing off hexes and curses in their direction. Dropping the shield charm, Harry rushed forward, determined to create a full frontal attack. A well placed jelly-legs jinx decommissioned one deatheater, but the other two were evading the attack. Ginny pulled out her own wand, and followed close behind. Harry and Ginny began fighting one on one with the deatheaters, but unfortunately more began to appear out of the crowds, the two of them were soon outnumbered by several deatheaters that had encircled them. And then, it was just Ginny, Harry had been hit in the chest with a dark purple curse. It had caused him to collapse and black out instantly. Ginny continued to hex each deatheater she could see at the end of her wand, but was quickly becoming overwhelmed.

Suddenly, there was a sharp crack and there were two more people standing beside Ginny. It was Bill and Fleur. Bill immediately placed a shield charm around them and Fleur reached out one hand to Ginny and grabbed Harry with the other before turning on her heel and apparating them to St. Mungos. Ginny fell on her but in the apparition room as Fleur ran out to get a Healer for Harry.

"We need to get in our son!" roared a red faced Mr. Weasley at the Healer

"With all due respect, Mr. Potter is not your legal or blood son, we will not be allowing anyone but immediate family in to see him during this trying time." The impassive Healer refused to budge on allowing anyone into Harry's room. All they had been told was that he was alive and stable. Fleur stood next to a shaking Ginny. She hadn't spoken, but the girl had been crying since Harry had been taken out. Fleur had done everything to comfort her, but nothing had calmed Ginny down. Even Bill and George had given up attempting to stop her tears.

"vhat counts az immidiat familee" Fleur called out to the Healer, she was in the back of the group holding onto Ginny's left hand tightly.

"A parent, a sibling, a child, or a spouse"

"vhat aboot a fiancé?

"That would fall under spouse, but not a girlfriend or boyfriend."

"Then Ginny should be allowed in!" Fleur quickly slipped her own wedding ring onto Ginny's ring finger and led her up to the head of the group. The family was gawking at them, and Ron almost began to yell out when George discreetly stepped on his toes. Fleur raised Ginny's hand to the Healer's face before proclaiming, "she is his fiancé, you cannot deny her."

The now agitated Healer led into Ginny to the hospital room. Harry was on the bed and he was still not awake, in fact he looked worse than when he first collapsed. "Will he be ok?" she croaked out.

"Yes, but he will have to stay here for a few weeks."

"What did they hit him with?"

"It was a blood coagulating potion, his blood was turning to gel inside his veins. Had he gotten here any later, he would be dead. Does he have any other immediate family?"

"He has a muggle aunt, uncle, and cousin. Other than that, my family has pretty much adopted him since he was 12."

"Once he wakes up, he can determine who is allowed in the room, but that will probably be tomorrow. It would be best if you convinced the others to go home for the night. You however, as his fiancé, can stay overnight with him."

"Thank you, give me a moment with him and then I'll let them know to go on home." The Healer walked out the room as Ginny sat in the chair next to the bed. She put her hand in his and cried, seeing the ring on her hand was almost too much, she had almost lost him. Again. He was practically dead right in front of her. Again. It wasn't fair. She couldn't lose him again.

After going out and telling her family what she knew, she went back into the room and sat with Harry again. She fell asleep, her left hand in his right, and her head rested on the bed. Her cheeks were tear stained, and she wasn't sure how he felt exactly, but if there was any chance he still felt like she did, she wasn't going to leave his side.


	6. Chapter 6

I am so sorry that this took so long to post! I had writer's block and then it was deleted roughly 5 times from my computer because it wouldn't save properly. Still no excuse and I hope to post more frequently and I hope you enjoy!

Harry drifted into consciousness feeling like he had been run over by the knight bus. He didn't recognize the room he was in, or the bed, but he seemed vaguely aware that he was in St. Mungo's. Glancing about, he saw Ginny at the edge of his bed, her hair splayed about and her sleeping with her upper body on the side of the bed and her lower half about to fall out of the chair. _She's safe_ was the only thoughts that ran through his mind, not his own health or anything had happened. His hand was in hers and he could see that she'd fallen asleep crying. _She's looks so peaceful when she's sleeping_. Ginny shifted in the chair, and Harry saw a ring on her hand. Ginny rarely wore jewelry, and it took him a moment to register what it actually was.

His breath hitched, and he jerked away. Suddenly he couldn't breathe and he thought he was going to vomit. Attempting to set up, he jerked the bed, and Ginny shot up and awake. "Harry! What's wrong, what can I do? Stop moving you prat, you're going to hurt yourself!" She grabbed him and held him by his shoulders against the bed trying to calm him but he still hadn't calmed down and he was hyperventilating. "HARRY, WHAT IS WRONG!" She was yelling now but the calming voice clearly hadn't helped any.

Panting, he choked out, "the ring, who?" before he laid his head against her hand and started crying. It was one of the only times that she had seen him cry and she had no clue what he was talking about until her eyes followed his and she realized she was still wearing Fleur's ring.

"No Harry, it isn't what you think." She choked out a nervous laugh and ran her fingers through her hair while looking at the floor. "We weren't allowed to come in to see you because we aren't legally related. They wouldn't let us in, but they told us a family member, including a fiancé could come in. So Fleur put her ring on me, and pushed me in. I was the only one that was going to be allowed in, and that was with the lie. I just didn't take it off. There's no one else, Harry, there never has been." Ginny glanced up and her own tears falling now. "I had to know you were ok, they say you almost died, I haven't left your bedside for the last day and a half. You may not love me anymore, but I'm not ready to let go of what we had and I'm sorry for that. I thought it'd be different when you got back, that you'd still love me and I know that I was wrong, but I have to find a way to reconcile with the fact that I am going to have to see you as part of my family for the rest of my life and you're never going to love me back, that you're going to fall in love, and marry someone else, have kids with someone else." She was rambling and blubbering and he couldn't reach her, he couldn't even get out of the bed.

"Dammit Ginny get over here." He reached out to her but she wouldn't come closer. She was out of his reach. Leaning forward, Harry was able to almost touch her hand, but she pulled away. "Get over here before I fall out of this bed, I feel like I've been hit by a bus." Shuffling forward, Ginny was still crying but she sat on the edge of the bed. Taking her hand, Harry kissed her knuckles. "Quit being a git" he murmured against her hand. "I love you, I'll always love you, why do you think I've been doing all of this? You all are my family no matter what happens between us, but _you_ are the reason I came back from the dead in the first place."

Ginny stiffened, and looked him square in the eyes. She wasn't shaking anymore, but she still had tears in her eyes. "What do you mean back from the dead?" Harry froze and looked at her. He had never told her about what happened in the forest, they hadn't exactly been talking freely with each other the last few weeks.

"I wasn't supposed to come back from the forest, I was supposed to die there. I was given the chance to decide whether to go on or to come back. You were the reason I came back. When I went into the forest, I knew that as long as the snake was destroyed before Voldemort, then Voldemort would die a human death and be gone forever when someone tried to kill him. I had passed the task of killing the snake to Neville, and Ron and Hermione knew what was left to kill Voldemort. I knew I had to die in order to kill Voldemort. I almost didn't even make it to the forest when I saw you outside comforting the dying. I almost went to you and asked you to run away and to never look back, to hide from the war with me so that we could be together. When I was given the opportunity to come back to you, it was instantaneous. I had to get back to you. But when I got back, you didn't seem to want me, it was like I was the enemy and had destroyed everything good in your life. I thought I had lost you forever." Harry was crying, not hard, but he had tears streaming down and Ginny had moved closer, wiping his tears away.

"Everyone was dead, including Fred, I couldn't even think straight, and then you didn't seem to want to be near me, it was like I was just present as you took care of everyone else." By now, they were sitting quite close and both had tears coming down. His hands were cupping her face while she tried to wipe his tears away.

"Then let's start over, Ginny I love you and want nothing else in this world to be with you and you alone. I want us together for as long as this world lets us. I want to be your friend, your boyfriend, and eventually your husband."

"We start over, we learn to talk and we battle through," Ginny leaned in and kissed him softly on his lips, had he not been in a hospital bed, she would have lunged at him. Harry brought his arms down to her waist and pulled her closer, it was the closest they had been in almost a year; and he didn't want to let her go. He peppered her with kisses, covering her lips, her cheek, her neck, and her collar bone. He stopped himself though, if he didn't stop now, things would get out of hand, and this was not the place for that to be happening. Breathless, she whimpered as he pulled himself away. She didn't want to let him get far from her and his kisses had reawakened part of the old Ginny Weasley, a fire was being relit deep inside and she was afraid without him, it would be snuffed out. Ginny leaned forward and kissed the spot behind his ear, "It's us now, you and me, no matter the challenge, and you will not leave me behind ever again."

"I'll never leave you behind again" he whispered into her neck. No matter what was happening in outside that room, for the first time since the war truly began Harry and Ginny were a team, ready to take on the world.


End file.
